Exposure to a target language through film or literature is a fantastic way to learn the language. This has been acknowledged with the existence of bilingual books, written twice in two languages. La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya does it a little differently by telling the story primarily in English and including the occasional Spanish word. 

The familiar fairy tale with a cultural twist is a picture book perfect for very new beginners to Spanish learners, as the majority of it is in English. However, the author also includes a glossary for any unfamiliar words. Though it was originally written for those learning Spanish (as indicated by the glossary, with only the phonetic spelling of the word in Spanish), the book would also be a good fit for more advanced English learners. 

The font color indicates the language as well—black for English, a deep red for Spanish—helping readers identify every language change. As a picture book, the illustrations themselves can’t be neglected. The textures included in the book are incredibly detailed, with the illustrator leaving a note at the end of the book explaining the inspiration taken from the Peruvian indigenous embroidery. This detail didn’t escape recognition, and the book won the Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration in 2018. 

For anyone wanting to dive into the Spanish language, La Princesa and the Pea is a fun and short way to start: readers can easily figure potentially unfamiliar Spanish words out through context. On the other hand, again, the book can be used the opposite way, and native Spanish speakers learning English could easily enjoy this book as well.